1813-15 battles in 20mm and for AoE and V&F - (part 12) The Young Guard at Waterloo

 

When I made my first two Brigades of Young Guard in 28mm I used the Perry plastics for most of them, that is, mixing some greatcoated infantry with Bardin uniforms. The greatcoated Young Guard - something that afflicted many French infantry units- is many times portrayed like this and even Hat called Young Guard to a box exclusively with greatcoats. Also the fantastic site Mont-Saint-Jean also shows the Young Guard, at least partially, in greatcoats.

  Now in 20mm the Esci  models were used. One reason for this was this fantastic plate taken from the H&C Soldiers and Uniforms of Napoleonic Wars by Hourtoulle, Girbal and Courcelle: 

Here Jack Girbal portrays all Young Guard, both Tirailleurs and Voltigeurs, in standard uniform as it is said on the subtitle that the greatcoats were probably wet from the previous night and that they were placed as normal strapped on top of the backpacks. This painting looks quite believable as I´ve been on those streets and also want to believe in this version. 

Another reason is the Esci "French Line Infantry" figures themselves. When I was a teenager I remember talking to two wargaming friends - the only ones I knew - and one of them saying "they are only good for Young Guard". I guess he was right as in fact the Esci French infantry is a big mess, with lapels pre-1812 and  Bardin on the tails. In fact this kind of "mistakes" convinced me that Esci was making enough figures so we could mix and match them as, for instance, you could get full pre-1812 uniforms from the Grenadier box and place shakos on them, or simply paint over the front of the infantry and get Bardin uniforms as the short tails were already there. 

This was what I did with these Young Guard figures. In fact the Esci detail is quite nice but not very deep - which I think was made on purpose so you can convert them more easily - and new detail can simply be painted over. 

So all figures got new front lapels, cuffs and even epaulettes for these two groups. Also only was strap was painted on the rank and file with NCO´s with two straps and sabretache. The final coat of varnish helps erase all molded original details that you don´t want. 

The only additions to many of these figures were the backpacks which were taken from Esci Grenadiers od Airfix figures. 

So all figures came from the Esci "Line infantry" and only the sappers are from the Grenadier box. The Young Guard didn´t have Eagles so I placed some hand painted company fanions on four of the stands. 

Next: the 95th rifles